A&O Setting
Before there was a World of Darkness ...
There was the First Age of Man.
The Exalted, the Chosen of the Gods, rule Creation directly. The world is hammered into shape out of the Wyld at the behest of the Solar Exalted, chosen of the Unconquered Sun. But as time goes on, these Lawgivers who once shone so brightly begin to show their true colors. Their empire grows decadent and fat. They fall ever deeper into infernalism, sadism and cruelty as the years go by.
The Sidereal Exalted, chosen of the Five Maidens, gather to foretell a Great Prophecy. Three futures lie ahead. One where they lead the Dragon Blooded footsoldiers against their Solar masters and preserve the Empire in a lesser, but stable, state. One, where they attempt to defeat the Solars directly and all magic is destroyed in the crossfire creating a world of cold hard rationality with no wonder or amazement. The third, where the Sidereals serve their role and warn the Solars of their future and it is up to them to make it a a good one or a terrible one.
In this timeline the Five-Score Fellowship decided to warn the Solars. This created a civil war followed by religious inquisition and decades of torture, infighting and brutality; just what the Solars needed to completely fall to absolute darkness. The Unconquered Sun, ashamed by what his progeny have become and angry at the world they had abused, steals all of his might from each of his Chosen and takes his leave of all of Creation.
It is now the year 2007, and by all magical accounts the world should have ended years ago.
The Antideluvians have risen from their ancient slumber, but rather then destroy the world in a sun-blotted out slugfest between eldritch evils, they have decided to bide their time and play the eternal Jyhad. The Sects fell a few years ago but the Masquerade has remained intact. Alliances are now clearly along Clan lines and war is brewing.
The Garou find the war effort draining and in their time of need have found unlikely alliances amongst the Fera. Word among the Changing Breeds is that the Gauntlet will be falling soon and members of all the different breeds have come to discuss what they will do in the aftermath. The Wyrm will most likely make a move to attack and all of them will be needed. Luckily, word is that Luna has awoken from some strange slumber and has begun granting special mortals mighty powers akin to that of the Changing Breeds.
The Awakened are the most clued in to what is about to happen next. The Technocracy and the Traditions have been watching the Avatar Storms since they broke out and have noticed that as they begin to die down what's being left of the Gauntlet is significantly weaker. As it becomes safer and safer to make passage between the two worlds, both Technocrats and Traditionalists find their masters towers and Horizon-Worlds in flames. The Fair Folk from the deepest Wyld are on the march all over the Umbra.
And then suddenly it hit. A Solar eclipse followed by a Lunar eclipse followed by a complete alignment of the planets. The avatar storms die for good, the Fifth Great Maelstrom completely putters out, and the Exalted begin to return.
Why you ask?
The Unconquered Sun has returned. And with him, old enemies.
In Japan the courts of the Kuie-Jin are shocked as the curse begins to lift. Legends speak of the Wan Xian, immortal chi-users that were born into their power, blessed by the elements rather then cursed by karmic debt and born from the grave. These legendary beings begin to make themselves known among the Courts, and they begin channeling their elemental power into claiming the world.
In the darkest spots on Earth where death has festered and so many tears have dropped over lost lives, Shadowlands begin to bleed out where the Gauntlet begins to crack. And from them, from terrible places like Auschwitz or Ground Zero, the Abyssal Exalted begin to crawl out of the darkness.
Iteration X has completely succeeded from the Technocratic Union. They say Autochthonia has better uses for them.
And into this all is thrust your characters, young people who awaken one day as Solars, burning bright lanterns of glory in the World of Darkness. And little do they know how involved they were in how the world got this way. But all will be revealed, in time. If they survive that long it is ...
